Destiny's Play-LXXXVIII,LXXXIX,XC-129,135,140-27/3 (Page 88)

Page 88 of 150

OptiIF-Stunnerz

Nandu
kaka had arranged for a couple of men to offload Sameera's things from the
truck and move them into one of the guest rooms. When Dev and Sameera returned
from work that night Nandu kaka handed Sameera the key to the room and asked
her to check whether all her things were properly arranged. Sameera assured him
that she needn't do so, for she trusted his abilities. Dev then took her to her
room. It was a large air conditioned bedroom on the ground floor. It had
a double bed at the centre, side tables with bed lamps on either side of it, a
dressing table on one side of the room and a reading table and chair on the
other. The front wall had a plasma T.V. mounted on it. One of the side
walls had a ceiling to floor wooden built-in wardrobe. The other wall had a
French window leading out to the sit out. The room had an attached bathroom,
complete with a bath tub, shower and western closet. Sameera protested that the
room was too big for her and insisted on being shown a smaller room.

Dev looked at her in amusement and
said, "Well, there are no small rooms in this house, Sameera. I chose this
room for you because, besides having a good view of the garden, it is the room
farthest away from mine. You see, this room is on the ground floor at the rear
left corner. My room is on the first floor on the front right corner. So you
can live here in absolute peace and quiet."

Sameera
reluctantly nodded her head and said that she'll freshen up and meet him in
fifteen minutes. After a quick shower Dev took her around the house, explaining
that now that she was a co-occupant of the house she needed to be aware of her
surroundings. Besides her room and the room which stored her household
articles, the ground floor had two other bedrooms, one of which was his
parents' room which was locked. The hall, the dining area and the kitchen were
also on the ground floor. A large spiral staircase at the centre of the hall
led up to the first floor. This floor had two more bedrooms, one of which was Dev's.
Next to his room was a library with many books on a wide range of subjects
including literature, history, philosophy, economics, finance, science and
technology, fiction and autobiographies. The room had four comfortable chairs
and a large round table at the centre. On one side was a PC with internet
connectivity. Opposite to the library was an entertainment room which had a
pool table and home theatre. After showing her all the rooms, Dev escorted her
to his room. As he had remarked, his room which was diagonally opposite hers on
a floor above, was the farthest room from hers. The room was full of framed
photographs of Dev with his parents taken at various stages of his childhood
and youth. There was a picture of Geet and him taken on one of his
birthdays. Feigning ignorance, Sameera enquired about the girl in the picture. Dev
told her that she was his childhood friend, Geet. They were very close till
circumstances broke their bond of friendship, he lamented. Sameera could make
out from his countenance that he genuinely missed Geet's friendship.

Nandu
kaka called them down for dinner. Sameera asked Dev where Nandu kaka lived. Dev
said that he lived in the outhouse at the back of their residence. Although he
had been asking him to move into one of the rooms within the house, Nandu kaka
felt more comfortable in his own place. Over dinner, Sameera brought up the
topic of his relationship with Geet.

"Dev,
if you and Geet were such close friends, how come you never told her about your
relationship with Annabel?" she asked curiously.

Dev
was surprised by the question and asked her what made her think that he had not
told Geet about Annabel. Realising that she had blurted out more than she
wanted him to know, she quickly recovered to say that she presumed Geet was not
aware of Annabel, for if she was, she would have not agreed for the wedding in
the first place. The unfortunate incidents that followed the broken engagement
could have then been averted. Dev nodded his head and admitted that his silence
on this matter had proved fatal for Mohinder uncle. In retrospect he realises
his folly in not sharing details of his life with his close friend. While he
did not realise that Geet could have harboured any feelings for him beyond
friendship, he could not bring himself to talk about Annabel for a reason. He
felt that Geet who was a conservative girl would not be able to digest the fact
that he was living with his British girl-friend before they got married.

Sameera's
eyes widened in surprise at this new piece of information and she very nearly
choked on her food. 'So Dev was in a live-in relationship with his girl-friend
before he married her?' she thought. Alarmed to see her reaction, Dev stretched
his hand forward and patted the top of her head to clear the food from her wind
pipe and he held a glass of water to her lips. When
she regained her composure he said that this was exactly the reason why he did
not reveal anything about his relationship with Annabel. If a live-in
relationship can cause such a reaction from a girl who was as modern and broad
minded as her, how much more it would have affected a girl like Geet, he asked.

Sameera silently admitted to herself that it would have definitely been
difficult for Geet to accept it. She asked him why he did not tell her
anything at least after they got married. He replied that they had got married
only a couple of days before they left for India and Dev thought that he will
introduce his wife to her in person after he returned to Mumbai. The events
that followed did not give him the opportunity for it. Geet was so
embittered after the death of her father, for which he too was indirectly
responsible, that she refused to see him or hear his explanation. He wouldn't
blame her for that, he added. He would have done the same had he been in her
place.

Sameera did not know what to say. Dev made some bad choices but he was
not a bad person, just a victim of circumstances. She could not help
sympathising with him, particularly when she could clearly see in his
melancholic eyes, a remorse for his deeds and a deep yearning for
reconciliation with his childhood friend. She resolved to bridge the chasm
between the two friends but she knew she has to wait for the right opportunity
to do so. After dinner they wished each other good night and went to their
respective rooms.

The
next morning Sameera got up early, had her shower and dressed up for work. Just
as she entered the dining hall she caught sight of Dev clad only in his navy
blue boxers, coming down the stairs. He was vigorously rubbing dry his still
wet hair, calling out to Nandu kaka and asking if his breakfast was ready. Her
mouth fell open seeing his semi-nude state and she hastily closed her eyes
shut.

Realising that he was no longer the sole occupant of his house so as to
blissfully parade in this state of half undress, Dev turned red in
embarrassment. He hurriedly tied the towel around his waist and ran up the
stairs to his room. After ten minutes he came down fully dressed in his
business suit. Taking the seat opposite Sameera at the dining table, he looked
down shame facedly and apologised for his improper attire in the presence of a
lady. He assured her that she will not be subjected to such displays in
future. Sameera tried hard to suppress her smile and pretended to concentrate
on her breakfast to prevent further embarrassment. Dev took the cue and quietly
had his breakfast.

Before leaving he called Nandu kaka and gave him some money,
asking him to get some fresh vegetables. Turning to Sameera, he asked her if
there is any vegetable she was particularly fond of. Sameera shook her head and
said she likes all vegetables. He then told him to get radish, lady's fingers
and tomatoes. Asking Sameera if she was ready to leave, he escorted her to his
Mercedes to start of another day at work.

At
the office, Sameera received a call from Maan asking her to meet him for lunch
at a restaurant near her office. Sameera informed Dev about her luncheon
appointment with an old friend. Dev wondered whether it was a male or a female
friend but was too polite to ask. He couldn't help feeling a pang of
jealousy, although he tried to shrug off the feeling.

Maan was waiting for her at the
restaurant. One look at his face told her that the guy was fuming within.
She braced herself to face the barrage of questions which will be hurled at
her. She barely took her seat when he started off his tirade.

"Just
what do you think of yourself, leaving the chawl without so much as a
word?" he asked angrily.

"I
did inform your wife that I was moving," she said calmly. "I tried
your number too but it was constantly engaged."

"Yes,
you informed Geet on the day you left. I am sure you were aware that you had to
leave much before that, were you not? Why did you not tell me you were being
evicted from the chawl? I would have spoken to the members and asked them not
to throw you out."

"Maan,
you no longer live in the chawl, so under what authority would you be allowed
to interfere in the chawl's dealings? Moreover, the condition that I return
back by 9.30 p.m. every night was something I could not follow, given my erratic
working hours. So I decided to leave the place instead of vitiating the
situation further. I searched for an accommodation but could not find
one, try as I may. Finally I decided to move into my boss's residence as a
paying guest till I find an alternate place to stay."

"Could
you not have asked me to look out for a place for you? Would I not have done
that much for you?"

"What
difference would that have made? Maan, it is very difficult finding a place if
one is a single working woman with unpredictable working hours."

"You
could have stayed with us till you found a place."

"Don't
you have your hands already full taking care of your business and Geet? Why
would I want to trouble you further?"

"You
call this trouble?" he raised his voice in indignation and realising that
they were in a public place, he lowered it down.

In
a voice which betrayed his hurt he said, "I am disappointed in you, Sameera.
I thought we were friends. What are friends for if they are not there to help
each other out in times of need?"

"You
call me your friend, Maan. Then don't you know me by now? Don't you know how
much I detest asking for help or receiving it? Don't you know that I value my
independence a lot and would not wish to compromise on it unless I had no other
choice? I would have come to you if the worst case scenario was to be left on
the streets but my boss offered me a paying guest accommodation. Under the
circumstances that was my only acceptable option. "

"So
you would rather stay as a paying guest with a boss you barely know than stay
with a friend you know since childhood?"

"Maan,
I would have only cramped up your apartment had I moved in with you. And I do
not know how long it will take for me to find an alternate accommodation. What
if I could not find something for months on end?"

"I
could have put you up in one of my hotel rooms."

"And
my furniture and other household articles?"

"I
would have found a place for those too."

"And
how much would I have to pay you?"

"Pay
me? Are you crazy? I will not accept any money from you," he said with
finality.

"That
is precisely the point. You will not allow me to pay and I will not agree to
be a free rider, even if the person is my friend. So where does that leave
us? With my boss, I have a strict business deal. I pay for my boarding
and lodging. So I don't feel indebted to anybody."

Maan
continued to sulk. Sameera placed her hand on his and gently pressed it.

"Look,
Maan. I know that you mean well. You are highly protective of the people you
love and care about. I appreciate that but I don't need your protection.
We are very similar in that way. We both value our independence too much to
give it up. We like to be in control of the situation rather than let the
situation take control of us. That is why we would have been total
misfits if we had got together, as both of us would have tried to dominate and
take control. It is good that destiny intervened and brought Geet to you. The
two of you fit like a glove. God bless you both and the three little ones you
are expecting. As far as I am concerned, let me make my own choices, let me
lead my life as I think best. I am not saying that my choices are always right
but if they go wrong, I will have only myself to blame and no one else. I am
too rigid to bend now, Maan. If you value our friendship I think you will
respect my wishes."

Maan realised that what she said was
true. As a true friend he needed to respect her wishes. He cannot impose his
views, his wishes on her. He nodded his head and called the waiter to place
their order. While having their lunch, Maan asked her who her boss was.

Sameera hesitated for a moment
before saying, "Dev Singh."

"What?"
Maan sputtered out his food and looked at her incredulously.

Sameera
nodded her head solemnly and said, "You heard me right."

"You
mean you have moved in with Dev? Are you out of your mind? What did his family
have to say to that? What about his gori wife?" he asked in a high
pitched voice, inviting a kick on his shin from Sameera to remind him where
they were. He looked around and seeing a few heads turned in their
direction, he lowered his head.

Sameera
then gave him a short life history of Dev, ending it with his divorce.

"You
have moved in with a divorcee, then?" Maan persisted, clearly annoyed with
his friend's choice of residence.

"Stop
saying that I have 'moved in' with Dev. You make it sound like I have gotten
into some illicit relationship with him. I have merely moved into one of
the many rooms in his house - a room which is farthest from his, if I may
add," she said, her lips twisting in a smile.

"What
will Geet say if she comes to know with whom her dear friend is staying?"
he asked. "The woman would not even look in his direction when we briefly
saw him at the airport on our return from Bangalore."

Sameera
looked at him apprehensively. "Maan, promise me that you will not tell
anything to Geet just yet. I myself will break the news to her soon enough.
Before that I want Dev and Geet to meet and have a heart-to-heart talk. I am
sure if she hears him out she will forgive him."

"So
why are you so keen to bring about a rapprochement between the two childhood
friends? Have you by any chance fallen for the guy?" he asked jocularly.

Sameera's
cheeks flamed up but she quickly masked it and pretended to be cross with him.
She hit his hand and said in a sharp tone that there was nothing between Dev
and her. All she wanted to do is to help clear all misunderstandings between Dev
and Geet so that they can renew their bond of friendship. Having such a
wonderful relationship with her own childhood friend she wanted the same for Geet
too. Maan smiled at that and pressed her hand in acknowledgement. After they
finished their lunch, he settled their bill and she took leave of him saying
she needed to get back to her work.

"So,
is this Dev a hard task master?" he asked curiously.

"No,
he is not. He is quite a sensible, sensitive and generous master," she
retorted.

"So
there is something brewing between the two of you," exclaimed Maan.
"I have not heard you praise anyone so much."

Sameera
hit his shoulders hard as she hurried out of there before he could catch sight
of the deep flush spreading across her face. Maan smiled at her
retreating back but then sobered almost immediately, wondering how Geet will
take the news of Sameera working for Dev and living in his house.

SoapoperasrfunIF-Sizzlerz

Opti, this day light saving is spoiling everything for me. Of late I am never one of the first ones to catch ur updates But I always manage reading them as soon as I can.

I love Maaneet's baby talks. Humm, now I feel a little bad for Mrs. shukla but Geet has suggested the right remedy to her. She should seek some professional help if she is blaming Maan for her daughter;s death.

OptiIF-Stunnerz

I myself have met people like
Mrs.Shukla...who are nothing but pests..What ever you try to explain....it will
never get through their heads..They live in their own sense of reality..They
show their bitterness towards life ..by spoiling others....

Have never used Franch oil
or any other oil when I was carrying but was luckily spared of the stretch
marks maybe because my stomach did not stretch much although I delivered a 3.1 kg
boy. Geet does not know what Yash has actually planned but she knows that
the plan is devious enough for Maan to not allow it to go further. Since Anwesha
badly wants to punish Arjun, by hook or by crook, Geet is playing along for
now.

SoapoperasrfunIF-Sizzlerz

Dev is trying to make sameera as comfortable as possible. I like it. And Sameera will have a good time with him too. Humm, live-in relationship with Annabel? Geet would have died of shock. I can understand Dev's dilemma. He is a nice guy. Hope Geet and dev can be friends.

I am loving the relationship Maan and Sameera share. Maan knows all the truth about dev. Very nice. And they want the same for Geet and Dev too. Very cute and nice. Shows that they are all very comfortable with their feelings for each other.

serialwatcher16IF-Rockerz

Hip hip hurray. I caught the next update as well before i logged off. This live-in reminded me of a conversation i had with my son. He went on a binge of seeing back to back episodes of Friends 10 seasons, then how I met your mother, then Big Bang Theory, then two and half men. When I had had enough, I told him, i hope your realise that your parents are pretty old fashioned and this girl friend in the morning and breaking up in the evening is simply not acceptable to us. Our culture is different (me sternly).

And then he started laughing and saying, chill ma, it is not girlfriend in the morning and breaking up in the evening; what I am seeing is marriage in the morning and divorce int he evening. and he laughed and laughed looking at my face.

I don't know what i threw at him.

Maan taking an interest in Sameera's life as a true friend is nice. I am happy that he checked up on her and she told him about Dev.

OptiIF-Stunnerz

Opti, this day light saving is spoiling everything for me. Of late I am never one of the first ones to catch ur updates But I always manage reading them as soon as I can.

I love Maaneet's baby talks. Humm, now I feel a little bad for Mrs. shukla but Geet has suggested the right remedy to her. She should seek some professional help if she is blaming Maan for her daughter;s death.

Simply lovable update.

Thanks Priti. Take your time reading the updates but do leave your comments so that I'll know what you think. Mrs.Shukla does need professional help but then would the woman accept it and seek out the help?

spvdIF-Addictz

part 80wow so Maan now knows that Dev is Sam's boss and she is staying as his paying guest....................Dev's half clad scene was funny and embarrassing...................Sam is falling for Dev..................and Dev's jealousy has started working its way....................cont soon....................

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